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Regional buzz: From star-struck Sidhu to Ghuggi who is Waraich
Former cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu does nothing without seeking astrological advice, even what colour should he wear on a particular day!
Star-struck Sidhu pads up only on auspicious days
Former cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu does nothing without seeking astrological advice, even what colour should he wear on a particular day! According to one of his former secretaries, his lucky days are 2nd and 20th of a month and he does all important work on these days. As for his clothes, the bills for his matching ties, scarves and turbans run into a few thousands every month. After all, he makes anywhere between Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh for every motivational speech and many times more for every episode of the Kapil Sharma show.
Ghuggi is Waraich!
What’s in a name? Guess everything for Punjab politicians. The latest to have discovered his full name on the eve of elections to impress a caste-based vote bank is AAP’s new convener Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi. The comedian-turned-politician, it seems, wants to be taken seriously. The party’s press invitations and press notes now refer to him as Gurpreet Singh Waraich (Ghuggi). Oh! So he is a Waraich? Did you know? We bet not.
New SGPC chief? SAD treads with caution
When Shiromani Akali Dal president and Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal last week held a meeting with members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee elected in 2011, four leaders in the race to take over the coveted post of president, replacing Avtar Singh Makkar, surrounded him. Dyal Singh Kollianwala, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Janmeja Singh Sekhon and Tota Singh made attempts to catch his attention. The elections are scheduled in the last week of October. But the party may have something else on mind. The party president has the list of about 165 members with their pictures to select the “right candidate”. “The assembly elections are round the corner and the party will be cautious in making the choice,” said Makkar.
Majithia’s jibe at AAP over job sops
Punjab revenue minister Bikram Majithia tried to expose the Aam Aadmi Party’s promise to provide 25 lakh jobs in five years by doing some quick math the other day. Addressing a youth rally at Khatkar Kalan on September 28, Majithia, said the promise made by the AAP means giving 5 lakh jobs per year. “It means approximately 42,000 jobs per month or 1,400 jobs each day. Have you heard of any government at the Centre or anywhere in the world that has given such a huge number of jobs,” he asked. Taking a dig at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Majithia said the party had promised the same in Delhi also, but the number has not crossed even 500 marks in two years. “Someone asked Kejriwal how they would fullfil this impractical promise. He replied that that is when Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann would be of use. Keh demange ke Mann ne khadi-peeti wich bol dittaa hona,” he said with a chuckle.
Knocking on the wrong door
When the Punjab government ordered evacuation of people from 1,000-odd villages in the six border districts of the state following the surgical strikes by the Indian army across the Line of Control, thousands of families had to leave their homes. The state authorities not only set up camps, but carried out surveys to connect with evacuees and gather feedback from them. But there was a glitch in their database. A Chandigarh resident received a pre-recorded call asking if he had been evacuated from a border district and for feedback on difficulties he is facing. Two hours later, a telecaller rang him up. asking if he was having any problem. When asked from where they got the mobile number, the caller said she was calling on behalf of the Punjab government and the phone number data had been provided by the state authorities.
Thin attendance at Gandhi Jayanti function
The state-level Gandhi Jayanti function at Haryana Raj Bhawan where Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on Sunday saw a thin attendance. Not a single minister was present. Though invites were sent by the state administration to all top bureaucrats also, only half a dozen of them turned up. DS Dhesi, Keshni Anand Arora, P Raghavendra Rao, PK Mahapatra, Dheera Khandelwal and Sameer Pal Srow were among the IAS officers present. “There have been instances in the past when governors had expressed displeasure over such things to the governments of the day,” remarked a state official.
Abhay takes on Saini
INLD leader Abhay Chautala knows well how to counter bitter utterances of his political rivals. When a reporter asked him about Kurukshetra BJP MP Raj Kumar Saini’s remarks against selection of some candidates belonging to a particular community (Jat), Abhay replied that everyone in the state knew the mindset of Saini. He said Saini was obsessed with his hatred for Jats. “The way Saini is going, you never know when he might ask for an inquiry into victory of wrestler Sakshi Malik in the Olympic Games,” he commented.
Tech blues for K’shetra varsity
Haryana governor and chancellor of state universities Kaptan Singh Solanki has issued clear directions to vice-chancellors to remain updated and share all the information about the events held in their institutions on social media by using latest tools. But Kurukshetra University appears to be lagging behind in adopting new technology. Despite having a computer lab, staff of five to six people and other infrastructure, the institution does not have anyone to type official releases, forcing the director of public relations department to send handwritten press notes to reporters. The handwriting is not legible sometimes and the scribes face difficulty in deciphering press notes scribbled in their mother tongue, Hindi.
Management lessons gone waste for Hafed team
A 32-member team of Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation (Hafed) had travelled to Goa, famous for its beaches and casinos, three weeks ago for management lessons. But the gains, if any, appear to have been frittered away quickly, as the recent reallocation of work has riled some senior and middle-rung officials of the organisation. A general manager- rank official, who was in-charge of finance and accounts, has been given marketing and commercial, for instance. The senior-most official, who specialises in finance, has petitioned Hafed managing director Sukriti Likhi and additional chief secretary, cooperation, Alok Nigam against the change in his role from his core area to a sector in which he has no experience. There are some others also who have been given areas in which they have no experience and are griping. Only time will tell how the management tips help the federation brass and staff.
Mankotia, Pathania in war of words
Congress leaders from Shahpur, Vijai Singh Mankotia and Kewal Singh Pathania, do not see eye to eye. Both have been trying to assert their dominance in the constituency for long. This time, the battle seems more open. At the centre stage is the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) office approved by the state government for Shahpur. In a bid to claim credit for the announcement, the two leaders are entangled in a fierce war of words. With the assembly election due next year, more fireworks are expected in the days to come.
(Contributed by Sukhdeep Kaur, Chitleen K Sethi, Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Ravinder Vasudeva, Navneet Sharma, Rajesh Moudgil, Neeraj Mohan and Naresh K Thakur)
